Billy the Kid Came to Santa Fe

When visitors stroll across the Santa Fe Plaza, they often imagine Spanish governors, traders on the Santa Fe Trail, or artists drawn to the City Different. Few realize that one of the West's most famous outlaws—Billy the Kid—also left his mark here.

In 1879, New Mexico Territory was still reeling from the violence of the Lincoln County War. Seeking to restore order, Territorial Governor Lew Wallace invited Billy the Kid to meet with him in Santa Fe. Wallace hoped that Billy would testify about the murder of attorney Huston Chapman, a killing connected with the conflict.

Billy agreed.

For a time, the young outlaw was held in custody in Santa Fe while legal proceedings moved forward. He testified before a grand jury, believing that Governor Wallace had promised him protection and a pardon in exchange for his cooperation.

The pardon never came.

Feeling betrayed, Billy eventually escaped custody and returned to his outlaw life. The broken agreement remains one of the most intriguing episodes in the long and complicated legend of Billy the Kid.

Perhaps the most remarkable reminder of this Santa Fe connection is a letter Billy wrote to Governor Wallace on March 13, 1881. In it, Billy respectfully reminded the governor of their agreement and pleaded for the promised pardon. "I have done what I agreed to do," he wrote, asking Wallace to keep his word.

The governor never granted the pardon.

There is another fascinating twist to the story. While serving as governor in Santa Fe and grappling with territorial politics, Wallace was also at work on a novel that would become one of the best-selling books of the nineteenth century: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Much of the book was written during his years in New Mexico. It is remarkable to think that, from offices on the Santa Fe Plaza, Wallace was simultaneously shaping the fate of Billy the Kid and writing one of the most influential novels of his era.

Today, visitors standing in the Plaza can imagine the extraordinary scene: New Mexico's governor, working from the Palace of the Governors, negotiating with the territory's most notorious outlaw. It is one more reminder that Santa Fe's history is never quite as quiet—or as ordinary—as it first appears.

Want to discover more stories hidden in plain sight around the Plaza? Join us on a Santa Fe Discovery Walking Tour and explore the people, places, and surprising connections that have shaped the City Different for more than four centuries.